#karthain

[miqotetxt]

wish you were here!

[half-giant]

The Bondsmagi of Karthain are so cool. I love the wizard union even if they are a little evil.

[litcityblues]

'The Republic of Thieves' --A Review

Much like the titular Gentlemen Bastards of the Gentlemen Bastards sequence, my reviews have wandered across a couple of platforms before winding up here. (The Lies of Locke Lamora I posted on my Substack-- hey, you should subscribe by the way- it's free and I average about one post a week so I won't clog up your inbox, I promise. Red Seas Under Red Skies landed on the O.G. Blog (also worth a peek if you haven't been there.) Locke Lamora was a revelation, Red Skies was good- but gave me Die Hard 2: This Time It's On A Plane vibes that made me worry about the next volume, The Republic of Thieves- but you know what? I should not have worried. I should not have worried one little bit.

The book opens with Locke and Jean still on the run- but instead of enjoying the last of his life as Locke wanted, Jean has become obsessed with finding him a cure to the poison that infected his body following the events of the prior book. Jean's quest is largely fruitless and Locke is on the doorstep of death when they get an unpleasant job offer that promises to save Locke's life. The Bondsmagi of Karthain come calling, more specifically the Archedama Patience who, as it turns out, is the Mother of the Falconer, whom they defeated, and mutilated- but did not kill at the end of the first book.

She promises to cure Locke, in exchange for which, she's going to employ them both in Karthain-- where elections to the governing Konseil, held every five years are imminent. The Bondsmagi, knowing that their power- the misuse of which lead to the downfall of the Therin Empire- hold themselves apart from the city they govern, preferring instead to jockey for power through the dueling political factions that govern the city-- the Deep Roots Party (Patience's party- the old guard) and the Black Iris Party (which represents the modernizing, new guard).

Locke doesn't want anything to do with the Bondsmagi, but is in no position to disagree and Patience sweetens the deal by revealing that their counterpart for the Black Iris Party is none other than the often spoken of, but so far not yet seen a former member of the Gentlemen Bastards- in the case, the Gentlelady, Sabetha.

Meeting Sabetha was inevitable at some point in this series. She's been haunting the first two books and the backstory between her and Locke is hinted at, but never fully explored until we get to this book. As Jean and Locke accept the contract in Karthain and Locke is purged of the poison running through his body, we get the story of Locke and Sabetha as the other thread interwoven through the main body of the narrative.

They go way back, as it turns out, all the way to Shades Hill, where Locke catches sight of her red hair and is instantly smitten. Soon, she vanishes, and then Locke is swept up by Chains and brought in the Gentlemen Bastards where Sabetha is already a member and they reconnect after a fashion. As they all grow older and get into their teenage years and deal with things like hormones and figuring out how to work together, Chains kicks them all out of the house and sends them to Espara to put on a play- the Republic of Thieves. They get there and have to figure out how to first, bail out their contact-- Jasper Moncraine, who is in prison for insulting a noble and then they have to deal with the business of putting on a play-- which, after some shenanigans and an unexpected murder, they manage to pull off-- but the more important thing is that Sabetha actually gets Locke to recognize her for herself and not as some shining object he placed upon a pedestal. That part takes a while and can be something of a slog to get through, but I think it's important enough for both characters that I would overlook it.

That brings us back to the present, where Locke and Jean reach Karthain and get to work. The beautiful part about their situation is that they know Sabetha as well as she knows them, so the hijinks between the two sides get interesting (she drugs them and dumps them on a boat heading away from Karthain when they oust her spies and watchers, she replaces them with sweet little old ladies- knowing that Jean won't hurt grandmas, etc.) She and Locke have a complicated dance around their feelings, but ultimately acknowledge them and despite some blunt warnings from their Bondsmagi employers, they continue to bring their best at each other while continuing to see each other and eventually, Locke makes it her choice: if she needs space, time or something else, he'll give that to her and when the election ends in a tie, they go their separate ways.

Patience reveals what she believes to be the truth about Locke- that he's the reincarnation of a very powerful Bondsmagi who tried to cheat death and she thinks succeeded in Locke. She shows first Sabetha and then Locke a picture of the Bondsmagi and his wife and Sabetha is so disturbed by this, she vanishes again. Jean and Locke are unsure of the truth of the matter but both have been burned by the Bondsmagi before, so don't really trust what Patience has to say.

At the end of the book, however, the Falconer recovers his mind and then his powers, before killing Patience, his mother.

Overall: I flew through this book. Any concerns I had about the series after Red Skies were blown into tiny smithereens. After teasing Sabetha throughout the first two books, the payoff when she's finally introduced is perfect. Weaving the Bondsmagi back in and bringing them back around from the first book? Perfect. Setting up the seeds of the next volume, The Thorn of Emberlain- perfect! I don't know what the original plan for these books were/is-- I've seen chatter on the internet that seven volumes are planned, but even if no other books in the series make it to print and Lynch pulls a complete Rothfuss, these three books are delectable. They're immersive without being dense, the characters are well-rounded and excellent and they're just a pleasure to read. Easily one of my favorite series out there right now. My Grade: **** out of ****

[earnestlyeccentric]

The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastard #2)

Author: Scott Lynch Rating: 3/5 Locke and Jean are hired by a Bondsmage to rig an election in Karthain. Spoilers ahead. Continue reading Untitled

[salemsoul]

Thorn of Emberlain: Sabetha FanFic.

A little something I have written exploring what Sabetha could be dealing with after she leaves Karthain. (Spoilers for the first three books in the Gentleman Bastard Sequence). @incorrectgentlemanbastards this is about what we were talking about the other day.

Sabetha stepped off the boat and into the docks of Ashcoppin. It was a city north of Karthain in Balinel, far enough away she hoped nobody would recognise her and she could think about how she was going to make enough money to survive on for a while, before moving somewhere else. Not something she could dwell on for long, as she wasn't quite sure how long she had before making money in her usual means became difficult.

The docks were bustling with workers that paid her no heed as she walked past in her long chocolate skirts and red velvet jacket. Just another traveller passing through. She only had one bag with her filled with the only belongings she could pack when she left Karthain. The thought still weighed heavy on her heart. What, who she had left behind. And what that would mean for her now regarding her own situation.

Sabetha sighed, letting the thought go, and walked deeper into the city. Most of the people who lived here were merchants or were travellers waiting for the next ship out into the Sea of Brass, so the streets were very busy, enough so that she could disappear into a crowd if unwanted attention arose. She passed a few inns, but decided to opt to one deeper into the heart of the city so that she would have less chance of meeting so many travellers that could potentially recognise her. An added bonus to this, was that the inns deeper into the city were significantly grander, as they expected visitors to stay for far longer than a night or two.

She walked between two large brass columns and through the glass doors on one such establishment. The smell of citrus and lemongrass greeted her, a welcoming smell, and she paid for a room on the top floor. As she was now going to be careful about climbing for a while, at least she could enjoy the view of the city from her window.

She climbed the several floors to her room, surprised at how out of breath she was when she reached the top and settled in. The room indeed had a view of the city, and over the expanse of land, she could just see the glistening waves of the Sea of Brass. She could just about make out some features of people milling about below. An apple seller, basket in one arm, doffed his hat to a passing women, as her children hurried up to him, coins in hand and greedily grabbed a few apples. Sabetha's hand drifted absentmindedly to her lower stomach, as she stared transfixed at the children as they ran around in circles, taking large chunks from their fruit as their mother giggled, shaking her head.

She had been that young once, but she never remembered being so carefree. Would she have been different had she been allowed to grow up in her own mother's care instead of cradled in the harshness of the streets and what kind of mother would that make her? Had there ever been a point when she just lived without a thought but freedom and happiness. Her life had been carved in coldness and brutality. How was she supposed to raise someone differently?

She had found out when she reached the Ironhorn Mountains to secure a boat here. It had been a few weeks walk from Karthain, and when some of the mountain people had offered her some fish for dinner, the smell had caused her to throw up, then and there. One of the women joked about her being pregnant, which sent a cold chill down her spine. She had racked her brain for when her last bleed had been, when she had met Locke for dinner on the barge. Five weeks before.

That caused her to throw up again.

She had always been so careful in taking her daily tonic, since her first bleed, that in the flurry of running, Karthain burning behind her, she must have forgotten. Those first few days after she left were a blur in her mind.

Their local physiker had confirmed her thoughts, and for the rest of her stay she had stayed in quiet contemplation alone waiting for the boat. She would not be lying when she said her first words after that had been a string of colourfully arranged curses that would not be far from home in a sailor's mouth.

When she had left that night she packed everything she would need in sight before quickly leaving, never could she have guessed she had left with something she didn't pack. A stowaway, in her womb. Reminding her just exactly how much of a bad decision it was to leave. Preva, it seemed, had a sense of humour.

A few weeks on now, Sabetha had warmed to the idea of becoming a mother. Silently in her heart she hoped for a daughter. To have her own little girl to cherish, though a son certainly would not be unwelcomed. A daughter would be harder for sure. There are so many ways this world was more dangerous for a little girl, especially if she shared the colour of her hair. But Sabetha had survived, and thrived. She was certain if she had a daughter, through her careful guidance she would too.

Sabetha moved away from the window at last, shaking off her boots by the bed and undoing her jacket. Later, she would go downstairs and scope out any potentially targets using her feminine wiles, though that was the last thing she wanted to do, but now all she wanted was to rest.

She laid down atop the silk sheets and comforter and stared at the ceiling. She had a few months at best before she started to show, though she wouldn't be barred from making money her usual way, it would certainly be more difficult, so she would make as much money in these next few weeks as she could so she could seclude herself and raise her child comfortably for a little while after they were born. Or at least enough to live on until she hears about a city collapsing and heads towards where Locke and Jean were surely to be.

Locke. He had no idea. Not that she had known that their final love making that night of the election would lead them to this. Not that it would even cross his mind. He knew how careful she always was. Had witnessed it from when they first started their courtship that summer in Espara so many years ago. A part of her regretted not taking that tonic. How much trouble she surely was now in, completely alone. But mostly, she couldn't care less. She finally had something that was hers that nobody could take away from her.

She would find him one day, and tell him. Whether that was before or after their child was born was yet to be known. He would blame himself to be sure, and curse her for not finding him sooner. All of which she was prepared for. She cursed herself too.

She wondered if their child would be as troublesome as Locke. Whether they'd come out of the womb and pickpocket the physiker and drive her up the wall with their intelligence. She giggled to herself; a girlish sound she hadn't made in too much time. A child like Locke she could deal with, it was a child like her she was afraid of having. Stubborn and secretive. A child like herself, she wasn't sure could read.

Sabetha laid there, thoughts of the future swirling around her head as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

[sworn-protector]

undefined

[ilvions]

i finally got some time to do some personal art, this one is of my boys & brothers karthain & ilvion who i've been wanting to design for a long long time :-)

[greatshell-rider]

:|

glad we could work our way through two ya romance novels for patience to tell locke he's a fucked up magic experiment zombie as a oooooh ahhhhh plot twist

[hotchocolateandpillowforts]

Once, when I was old enough to understand what I'd done, I was ashamed to be a murderer...But now, now, I'll be a murderer once again. I will set myself to slay until every last Gray King's man is gone...I will have the Bondsmage and I will have the Gray king, and if all the powers of Camorr and Karthain and Hell itself oppose me, it will be nothing--nothing but a string of corpses between me and your master...Whatever he's planning, I will unmake it. Whatever he desires, I will destroy it...When you see the Crooked Warden, tell him that Locke Lamora learns slowly, but he learns well. And when you see my friends, you tell them that there are more of you on the way.

Locke Lamora, The Lies of Locke Lamora

[gentlememe-bastards]

Sabetha, after reuniting with Locke in Karthain: Well, well, well, if it isn’t the feelings I’ve been trying to avoid.

[bondsmagii]

☕️ Alina Starkov, ☕️ the Falconer, ☕️ Dostoyevsky, ☕️ the Big Chungus song, ☕️ Athos & Astrid Dane

OH BOY.

☕️ Alina Starkov

my bitch is so dumb but I love her 😩 like a lot of the time I kind of want to shake her but what can you do!! I really do think she put up with far too much shit lmao but at the same time over the course of the three books she does get much better at asserting herself and she stops being so directionless, and I was super psyched to see her punch Nikolai and tell people to suck her long and hard through her jorts and stuff. I see a lot of people complain that she’s boring and whiny but like... I don’t see it? she definitely has her whiny moments but then you remember she’s a seventeen-year-old girl stuck in what was perhaps the World’s Suckiest Situation so I can hardly blame her.

overall I think her defining feature is bravery. time and time again she has to face the worst possible scenario and she still does what she believes is right, when many other people would have flinched away from it. she has a very strong moral code (perhaps the strongest in the series, if I’m honest -- Alina alone does things because it’s the right thing to do, and not because of any ulterior/personal motive) and she’s pretty fucking badass. she’s also funny as hell. like, why don’t more people talk about how funny she is? my girl is a comedic genius. 

my main criticism of her is that she didn’t say fuck it and go ape shit and rule Ravka forever on the shadow throne she shares with her hot evil boyfriend the Darkling but like whatever, it would be unrealistic if a character didn’t have flaws.

☕️ the Falconer

I fucking love this asshole. from the moment his pretentious arrogant ass appeared on the page talking like someone out of Shakespeare I knew I was gonna love him. I absolutely love arrogant characters who can back it up and he is the dictionary definition of this; likewise I love it when they get their ass handed to them and guess what! the Falconer provides this, too! everything about him is So Fucking Much and I just love it. I’m super excited after reading the end of The Republic of Thieves, and I’m really hoping that Scott Lynch is planning to bring him in as a Big Villain because that would just be so fucking sexy and definitely the best & most righteous thing to do.

he feels like such a solid character, too -- very often a character’s arrogance can be their only defining trait, but the Falconer has a whole history and personality that’s very solid even before it’s expanded on in the third book. everything about him is just very interesting and I absolutely adore how ruthless he is -- sometimes authors imply or tell but don’t show, but the Falconer is kind of scary, I’m not gonna lie. I would hate to have him pissed at me and I’m very thankful that I am a different Locke. this bitch is so dramatic and full of himself but he’s also smart enough to actually get what he wants and have people look at him and think “yeah he seems like someone to align myself with” and I’m not saying that he’s the kind of person who could lead a cult but I’m also not not saying it.

also the fact that his type of specialised magic is looked down upon in Karthain and seen as Not Desirable but he’s just like fuck you guys birds are neat and does it anyway? very sexy of him.

☕️ Dostoyevsky

bruh... I finally understand what people mean when they go off about Shakespeare or whatever like I’ve never really got Shakespeare and had no idea why people stan him so hard but then I read Dostoyevsky and like. I get it. I get it now. I understand how people feel. I understand the very emotion that Henry Winter felt when he asked Richard what he thought of Homer and Richard was like “I... like Homer?” and Henry fixed him with this death gaze and said “I love Homer.” like that’s me!! that’s me bitch that’s me with Dostoyevsky I get it!!

I can’t even articulate why I feel this way because this love sprung upon me very recently; I read The Brothers Karamazov a while back and adored it and it’s always stuck in my mind since, but then I just read The Idiot this week and holy shit I was just struck by... I don’t even know, Emotions™. I think it’s because The Idiot is clearly Dostoyevsky’s most personal work in terms of themes and opinions, and that combined with the fact that a) Dostoyevsky and I seem to be in agreement on many fundamental issues explored in the book and b) I was literally in the process of thinking about those issues in great detail when I picked the book up has resulted in me just being a full-blown Dostoyevsky Bitche™ now. I love him. I feel so Seen when I read his works but in a way that’s really not bad at all; it’s phenomenal, how he manages to articulate things where I thought I was the only one who thought that or felt that. of course, I know I’m not the only one -- that would be statistically impossible -- but everyone experiences things differently even if it’s the exact same thing, but Dostoyevsky manages to describe how it was for me, and not only that, but also at multiple different points in my life. how does he do it? we just don’t know, but I love him for it. 

I absolutely know this is going to be my literary niche and I am absolutely OK with that. it’s made me even more determined in my Russian studies because my goal is now to read all his works in the original Russian. if his work is this beautiful translated into English, I can only imagine what it would be like if I read it how it was intended to be read.

☕️ the Big Chungus song

the Big Chungus song haunts me because the very first time I heard it, I swore I’d heard it before. I had not, because it’s not the kind of song you can forget, but it reverberated deep in my soul and felt familiar on an existential level. I cannot explain this and nor do I want to; sometimes you’re just gifted these things, and it’s within your best interests to accept.

the only other thing I really have to say about it is that it slaps harder than pretty much anything I’ve ever heard before.

☕️ Athos & Astrid Dane

god these two were so great but I wish we’d known more about them! like on the one hand the lack of development is great because I get to go ham sandwich in my fics and basically write their lives for them which I love doing because my headcanons are sexy & righteous and born of only the hottest takes imaginable, but at the same time I have to write it all and I would also like to read it all. you can see my dilemma clearly.

I loved what I did get, because I love it when nasty characters are truly nasty. Athos and Astrid are fucking reprehensible. there’s no redeeming features, there’s no excuse for what they did -- they’re just evil and sadistic, and that’s that. I also love how Astrid is just as evil as her brother, because often the woman is portrayed as Not As Bad in some way, or as the foil to the man, and especially so with twins, but no. they’re both just fucking awful and nasty and they love it and they encourage one another to be their worst-ass self and it’s just brilliant. it’s like the Evil Twin trope, but both of them are the evil twin. it’s really refreshing to see a book commit to the idea of truly sadistic characters who are sadistic for no other reason other than they enjoy it -- the Danes didn’t become this way because they wanted to rule; they rule because they are that way. 

the character development past this is kind of eh, but at the same time they’re definitely not just Sadists™ and nothing beyond that. there’s enough there for me to get my teeth into, anyway, and I just have so many questions about them that I can write lots of fic answering. also their aesthetic is brilliant. all pale and washed out and wearing white (naturally so the blood splatters can show up clearer)? veins going black with corruption so they look like walking marble terrors? Makt couture baby.

[womanlives]

❔ mayhaps......

send ❔ and i’ll list a couple muses that i’d like to throw at yours! (feat: plot bunnies)

hmmmmmm why yes hmmm hmm yess hmmm

locke & any of my gb muses/ocs : u know i love gb, it’s emplied. locke and jean doing dumb pirate things with the rest of the crew sprinkled here and there as characters. can we explore the sinspire more? jesus. tal verrar was bitchin’. young baby threads with locke, jean, and sabetha pulling off schemes here and there. aloof princess beth slowly but surely grumpily accepting the rambunctious boys running all around their elderglass little cellar. inner monologue threads processing the events of the books and the trauma these mfers have endured. HEY can we get threads exploring the fuckin magi of karthain and, oh, i don’t know, THE ELDREN? HMM? threads where we just worldbuild on top of this already-fleshed-out amazing badassery of a universe and make our own elderglass wonders, or hc what all of this bs was that was left behind eyes.jpg

elias & sharhzad : i need to finish sharhzad’s about info, but essentially she is a shadhavar (or ‘persian unicorn’ if you will). she’s heavily inspired by the arabic interpretations of ‘’’unicorns’’’ and quite different from the cutesy white do-gooders we see in european literature. she was a powerful figurehead in the persian empire; her the height of her power was ~2300yrs ago, but that hasn’t stopped her ego. give me weary immortal threads where they bicker over coffee about which era was the best to live in, or which was the dullest, or how stupid the normal slang is. shapeshifter threads where they just Prankin’ as the two sassiest and angriest horses of all time. magic threads where they have to bring down a perceived big baddie invading their turf or space in a way that none of the mortals ever become wiser of. 

elias & paloma : just let paloma read his dreams and get bonked into a coma for 2weeks from all the memories and information she gleans and has to sift through. rude. warn a girl first.

any of the tellers & red : reveal the ability to manipulate souls to her and watch her Squirm as she tries to come to terms with the fact that there is the potential in that bloodline to do what she perceives as one of the deepest violation(s) of self there is (steal souls). i’m not saying she has bad memories of it from the otherworld but: she absolutely has bad memories of it from the otherworld. 

 honestly any of your ocs. let me love them, even if i do not know much about them. 

@vagomvndo

[incorrectgentlemanbastards]

Locke when he first got to Karthain: I came here to binge eat and stress in excess

[sworn-protector]

You can hold me only if you too will fall away from all these useless fears and chains.

@waraia

[salemsoul]

The Gentleman Bastard’s sequence Fanfic. (Spoilers)

Overview: Locke and Jean find Sabetha 5 years after the events in Karthain only to find out she has a child.

It had been five years since Locke and Jean had last seen Sabetha. That fateful night in Karthain played repeatedly on Locke's mind, and despite his pain, he stayed true to his word and did not seek her out. Jean often thought they were being too true, and that just finding her would certainly save him how many more years of headaches until she resurfaced again. His friend Locke was as stubborn as a debt collector but complained like a toddler, and with 10 years total, not including their short time with the bondsmagi, of his bullshit whinging about Sabetha, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

They had heard rumours throughout the years about her. Whisperings about the rose of the marrows resurfacing and destroying lives, some even said she was dead. But that's all they were. Whisperings. When created, myths tend to grow and twist all of their own.

However, Jean followed the rumours as much as he could. If he mentioned any to Locke he would just reply with "Well, I hope she's having the time of her life, and absolutely fucking miserable," often accompanied by said friend guzzling down the nearest bottle of wine until he was in a hazy stupor.

Due to Locke's almost constant drunken, depressed state, Jean was in charge of where they travelled, and the few months they were there Locke would hyper-focus on a new scheme, seemingly cured from his ailments, until it was all over, and Locke the mess would return. During this time, they'd even found themselves in the middle of a war, taking advantage of people's needs for supplies and weapons to charm the coins out of their pockets, only to find themselves in bigger trouble. Thank goodness that was now behind them, and Jean hoped this next city would finally reunite them with Sabetha.

The previous places they had visited had all been due to rumours about Sabetha's whereabouts, not that Jean ever told Locke that, and their arrival at Halgaist, a mountain village, was for the same reasons.

If Locke noticed this wasn’t the best place for a scheme, he didn't say, but they had accumulated a nice amount of wealth recently that they weren't desperate for money.

About a week into their stay, Jean was just about to think that Halgaist was yet another dead end, when they met her.

Earlier that day, Jean had roused Locke enough to convince him that a walk around the markets might spark his mind for a scheme. Locke begrudgingly agreed, dressing himself at a leisurely pace, before following Jean out of the door into the late afternoon chill.

Halgaist was famous for its winter markets, where craftsmen who lived deeper into the mountains, came to the town to sell their wares for the winter period. The whole town centre was filled with stalls selling items from furniture to warmed wine and dried fruit.

Jean and Locke were just at one of these stalls, admiring the intricately carved wooden toys and music boxes when they locked eyes with Sabetha on the other side.

The three froze, not quite believing that who was in front of them was not a spectre before tears started to fall. Sabetha rushed around the table, dodging milling citizens and accidentally hitting a few with the paper bag she held in one hand before launching herself at the two men.

"I never thought I'd see you two again," she said between tears, pulling them into her arms and squeezing again. Locke seemed beyond words so Jean said,

"And us, you." Relief washed through Jean, the hunt was finally over, but a look to his right told him enough about what Locke was feeling. Locke was frozen, staring off into the distance with tears sliding down his face as if he was in a trance. Sabetha didn't seem to notice so ushered them out of the crowds and to the empty side of the large square.

"Would you two like to come to mine, we can talk about our time apart over some spiced wine and cakes." Sabetha looked mostly to Locke as she said this, chewing nervously on her lower lip, and when Locke didn't reply Jean simply said,

"We'd love to," before gesturing for her to lead the way. Sabetha looked at Locke, who was still staring off into the distance, before offering Jean a tight lipped smile and nodded.

Sabetha lead them to a small district just out of the town full of cosy wooden cabins and snow-capped mountain tops. Sabetha talked and talked about the history of the town and about her favourite places to visit while rarely turning around to check if the two men were following her. She led them up to one of these cabins, tucked slightly out of the way behind a few grand pine trees, before welcoming them inside.

Jean and Locke followed her into what served as the kitchen in this quaint two storey cabin, and sat down at the large oak table in the centre of the room while Sabetha fussed, rushing upstairs for a few moments and then added a few logs to the already burning fire in the hearth and grabbing the wine, her paper bag discarded on the table.

Sabetha sat perpendicular to Locke at the table, to Locke's left, while Jean sat to his right. Jean then began spinning the tale of the last few years, talking about their troubles in Emberlain and a few honourable mentions from their latest schemes. Locke would occasionally quip in, and as time passed Locke seemed to relax and become more himself, much to Jean's relief.

Sabetha was looking at Locke as if she had something to say, still nervously chewing on that lip, while nodding along to their tale, barely lifting her eyes to look at Jean. Jean tried not to feel the sting. Sabetha probably missed Locke as much as he missed her, but had yet to tell them the reason for her departure in Karthain in the first place, content to let them take the lead in this conversation.

They were just down to halfway on their second bottle of spiced wine when a small voice arose from behind Jean. "Mama, who are these people?" Jean turned to see a small girl, not more than three or four years too her, clutching a soft toy to her chest. She wore a long white nightgown, grazing her ankles, and had messy red hair. Her steely blue eyes bore into Jean's, leaving him blinking confusedly at Sabetha a question on his face. Locke's expression mirrored his own as his eyes set on the girl, except with an added bit at horror.

Sabetha rushed to the little girl, crouching down in front of her. "Did we wake you up from your nap?" Sabetha said, smoothing the girl's hair. The little girl shook her head. "Do you want to go back up to bed?" The little girl shook her head again. Sabetha let out a sigh, before picking up the girl, carrying her on her hip and setting her on her lap as she sat down back in the chair she had just left. Sabetha reached over and picked up a small slice of cake from the table and presented it to the girl, who greedily accepted it into her tiny hands, leaving her toy to fall on the floor.

Locke picked it up, placing it on the table between them before saying, "So, you have a child." Jean could tell pain laced every calm word. The thought that Sabetha might have moved on, had even started a family, had never crossed their minds. To Jean, it had always been Locke and Sabetha, even when the years drifted on without a sign from her, to think that it could now be Locke, and Sabetha and someone else, hit Jean in a way he couldn't describe. Jean did the maths in his head, if this girl was indeed about three or four years old as he suspected, it means she must have been conceived not long after they split ways in Karthain. Could Sabetha really have found someone and moved on that quickly?

The girl was staring at Jean again as she messily ate the cake. There was something about her eyes that felt off to him. They were wise and assessing beyond her years, and hauntingly familiar.

Sabetha drew her gaze from Locke, wiping a few crumbs from her daughters dress. "Uh yes I do. I was going to tell you two as soon as I saw you again, but it was too hard, I'm sorry. I really was going to tell you tonight though."

Locke took a swig from his wine, "well as long as you are happy, and as long as her father cherishes her, and you."

"About that,-" Sabetha was interrupted by her little girl, cake now demolished, reaching over and pulling Sabetha's glass towards herself with her sticky hands. "Ah ah ah, that's not for you." The girl let out a little whinge and started puffing out her lips. Sabetha let out a long sigh, "Fine, but just a sip." She helped her daughter take a swig, and when she pulled the glass away the little girl let out a little giggle from her wine soaked mouth directed at Locke. Locke seemed stunned at the little girl's sudden attention, but gave her a smile before lifting his own glass up in a salute and downing it to the dregs.

Sabetha then wiped the girls mouth on her dress, staining it a light pink, before tucking the girl into her arms in a cuddle and continued, "As I was saying," Sabetha took a long breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say, "her father has not had a chance to cherish her," a look to Locke, "because her father is you."

The words shot through Locke and Jean, and they couldn't quite believe what they were hearing. Locke seemed to have been transported to wherever the Eldren had gone at the words and they were going to have to scrap his jaw off of the table.

Deep understanding settled in Jean. Of course he knew those eyes. Those where Locke's eyes in the little girl that were now slowly drifting off to sleep in her mother's arms, and the maths made sense, she must have been conceived that night in Karthain, when Sabetha disappeared, making the little girl just past four years old.

Locke sputtered, shaking his head, "and you didn't think to tell me, to find some way to contact me." His eyes went dark, and that was the rawest emotion Jean had seen from his friend in a while.

Regret painted Sabetha's face, and she pulled her daughter a little closer to her chest. "I did try. Please believe me I did, but I was also very scared. You see, the night I left, Patience was her name right? Well, she told me that I, that we, were going to have a daughter, and no matter what I did, she was going to find herself into this world, and if I did not leave now, we would lose our daughter because of you, and I was so shocked and scared, and I wanted my own little piece of this world, that I left. I tried to write you a note, but I knew you wouldn't understand, so I just gathered a few things and left. And don't think for one minute that in these last five years I haven’t regretted that decision, because I have regretted every moment. Especially when I gave birth and you couldn't be there to share that with me."

One of Sabetha's tears dropped onto her daughters cheeks and the little girl sat up with a start, her sleepy state gone, and brushed away the tears on her mother's face. Sabetha looked to her daughter and gave her a sweet smile, "thank you, darling, Mama's ok, don't worry." The girl only narrowed her eyes suspiciously, before nuzzling back into Sabetha's chest.

"I need some time to think Sabetha." Locke said, staring at the table. Sabetha stood up, cradling her daughter in her arms.

"I am going to go upstairs and put our daughter to bed, you can stay down here all you like and think away while I'm gone." And she walked out in the direction of the stairs.

"Locke," Jean started but Locke just gave his friend a look that stopped him in his tracks so neither of them spoke for several minutes. "At least we know why she left. And it’s a pretty damn good reason too."

Locke nodded absently, "Fucking patience, I hope she rots in hell wherever she is."

"That I can agree with," Jean said, taking a sip from his wine.

"I have a daughter Jean. A daughter. And I didn't even know. I've been drinking like a lonely widow while Sabetha has been here raising our daughter for me."

"You can't blame yourself Locke, you didn't know." Jean took this time to refill his friend's glass, but Locke didn't touch it.

"I couldn't even be a good garrista Jean. I let the only initiate we had die in front of me. How am I going to be a good father? Bug would be twenty now, twenty. If only I could have looked after him like chains did for us."

"Hey now, none of that is your fault, you did your best, and Bug had a better life with us, no matter how short it was, than he would have had had he stayed Shade's Hill. The Grey King and the Falconer wanted us all dead, we are lucky we escaped that ourselves, and you are lucky to have even fathered that child with the woman you loved. Don't I wish I could have had that opportunity."

"Jean. You know I don't mean to be ungrateful."

"I know, but just think, upstairs you have a beautiful little baby girl. Yes, you may not have been in her life for the first bit, but now you have a chance to be in the rest of it. So prove to yourself that you are worth more than all this drinking and scheming, and be the man I know you can be. That girls got a wonderful mother, and she'll do just fine raised by her, but I'm sure she'd be mighty grateful to have you there too." Jean picked up his glass again and took another drink.

"Jean, I need to go upstairs." Locke said, shakily standing on his feet.

"Then go then," was all Jean said, as Locke disappeared in the direction Sabetha went.

Locke got to the top of the landing and paused at the multiple closed wooden doors. A faint sound of singing could be heard from one just down the corridor and Locke knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open.

Sabetha was sat on the edge of a small cot in a cosily decorated room that was no doubt a child's. A few toys were strewn across the floor and small paintings, painted by a child's hand, hug on the wall. She was gently stroking their daughter's head, while singing an old Camorri tune they often heard the sailors sing when they were growing up. Sabetha stopped at the end of a verse, and Locke continued the song, perching next to her on the cot. Soft snores could soon be heard from the little being on the bed.

Sabetha then stood up slowly, and Locke followed her out of the room, where she closed the door softly behind them. Neither of them made a move to step away from the door, and stood in silence for a few long moments.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for the first few years of her life, but I would like to be in the future ones." Locke said softly, careful not to speak too loudly.

Sabetha didn't reply for another long while and turned away from him as she said, "Well, that depends. Are you going to insist on continuing your ridiculous schemes, because I told you once and I will tell you again Locke, but I can’t live with you as a garrista. And I don't want that life for our daughter either."

"If that is what it takes, though I don't know what I will do with myself I will admit."

Sabetha turned around slightly, "enjoy life, instead of living scheme to scheme and destroying people's lives. I admit it is fun, but there are other jobs that also require our particular skill set." She took a few steps towards him. "I've taken up acting. There's a small theatre troop here and I work with them. It's not a lot of money, but for once I don't have to worry about being caught. Join us, have a break and raise our daughter with me."

"What if I'm not any good and I mess her up somehow?" Locke said, taking Sabetha's hands in his own.

"You have to trust yourself. She can't be as messed up as we are. I've coped this long on my own, trust me, it's not easy, but it's a lot of fun." Sabetha reached up a hand and cupped Locke's cheek, he gave her palm a small kiss and covered her hand with his own.

"I'll do my best, you can be garrista for this," Locke smiled.

Sabetha gave a small chuckle, "Trust me, the only garrista here is snoring away in her bed."

"Is she really that much trouble?"

"Oh, just wait and see."

[gentlememe-bastards]

Jean, after reuniting with Sabetha in Karthain: You said you didn’t want to know anything about Locke anymore

Sabetha: I know what I said

Jean: Good

Sabetha: Good

Sabetha:

Sabetha: So is he still single or